"Peter R." wrote in message
...

While perhaps your comment may be technically true, it's been
my experience flying IFR in the Northeast US that ATC very
much wants IFR aircraft filing altitudes that conform to the
hemispheric rule.

If I tried to file a nonconforming altitude for the direction of flight
(which has occasionally happened by mistake), the CD
controller always corrected this oversight upon delivering my
clearance.


FAR 91.179(b) requires IFR aircraft in Class G airspace to conform to the
hemispheric rule, there's no relief from that. FAR 91.179(a) requires IFR
aircraft in controlled airspace to maintain the altitude assigned by ATC, no
mention of any hemispheric rule in the regulation. But FAA Order 7110.65
requires controllers to issue altitudes consistent with the hemispheric
rule, unless one of many exceptions applies.

If you're requesting an altitude that isn't very popular, you'll probably
get it. If you're requesting an altitude that many aircraft going the
proper direction like to use, you probably won't. In a nutshell, aircraft
going the right way have dibs on altitude.